In my Mosque – A welcome introduction to the Islamic Faith
June packs a lot into just thirty days. It is national LGBTQI2S pride month. June 21 was National Indigenous Peoples day. June 24 was the celebration of everything Quebecois. June contains both the final days of school and the summer solstice. June 2021 was also a month where two tremendously sad pieces of news dominated the headlines for weeks. Late in May news broke that the remains of at least 215 children were found in an unmarked gravesite near the former Kamloops Indian Residential school. It shouldn’t have been a shock to our nation that this type of horrific evidence of our terrible colonial history would surface, but it did shock many people. It provided another moment to put a spotlight on the glaring inequities faced by Indigenous people in Canada today, as well as the ongoing intergenerational trauma that plagues survivors, their families and communities. Just a week after this news broke and the country deep in our collective grief, a young man murdered a Muslim family, out for an evening stroll. Three generations of one family were killed and a young boy sustained serious injury. This action was deliberate and fueled by hate and anti-muslim sentiment. My pre-schooler’s best friend is Muslim. I wanted to shelter her from the news, but I also wanted her to feel the righteous indignation that sometimes inspires changing the world.
It is no shock to those who regularly read my contributions to the Good Reads Column that I have strong convictions. I believe in raising kids to be aware of important political and social causes, and I am always striving to be a good ally to my friends and family who are part of marginalized groups. You should also be reminded that I think that public libraries are spaces where activism and learning can make a real change in our communities and the world. They are institutions which promote free education and access to information with the fewest barriers. They are also part of the systems we live with which need to be decolonized, and diversified, to make sure that they are safe spaces for all to learn. It matters so much to me that our local libraries have a wide selection of diverse books which represent diverse families. I am really excited that my own children, and the kids I work with, are learning about things I didn’t know about until adulthood. My children have participated in protests, vigils and marched in solidarity. In the past week alone, they have heard words read from the Qur’an read in three languages, and witnessed a sacred Indigenous smudging ceremony. In anti-racist education, which goes beyond multiculturalism, it can be tempting to focus mainly on the oppression, and forget about the complex and beautiful peoples who we seek to uplift. There is a careful balance to be struck between raising issues and demanding change, but also taking time to learn about customs and traditions which differ from your own. When my heart broke over the racist mindset that led to the tragedy in London, I also wanted to be sure to explain how wrong and dangerous misconceptions about other faiths and traditions can be.
M.O. Yuksel is a parent, educator and now children’s book author who grew up attending many beautiful mosques around the world. She immigrated to the US from Turkey as a child and she loves writing about diverse cultures. Yuksel’s book, In My Mosque, celebrates the joys and traditions found in mosques, and experienced by those who visit. The book is brought to life with lovely and colourful artwork by New York Times bestselling illustrator Hatem Aly (whom you might recall from my review of The Proudest Blue). The book provides a window into warm and welcoming spaces, where people of all ages gather to share in important traditions, community and prayer. This book does double duty by being both an introduction to Islam for those who seek to know more about the faith of nearly 2 billion fellow human beings, as well as being a welcome mirror for Muslim children to see themselves in a space where they have been significantly underrepresented. The book also includes extra information about the specific iconic Mosques Aly depicts in the illustrations, as well as a glossary of terms and translation of Arabic words in the text.
Seeing and embracing differences, and getting to know and love your neighbours is one way to combat the fear and hate which seeks to divide us. I do not know the fear my Muslim friends feel when they walk down the street, but I can listen to their stories and use my power to work for systemic change. I cannot understand the loss that my Indigenous siblings are feeling right now, but I can understand the powerful love of parenthood and how important it is for all children to have what they need to grow up in a safe and healthy community. I will keep trying to be a good neighbour and a good ally in whatever small way I can, and I encourage you to do the same. Write to your MP and demand clean water in every First Nations community; learn about the Indigenous territory you live on; visit a Mosque, and of course, support your local library!